


Make me a promise/That time won’t erase us

by Nightlist



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Gen, Gunshot Wounds, Hurt Jerome Valeska, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, POV Alternating, POV Third Person, Suicide Attempt, Swearing, bang bang he shot me down bang bang, i love this tag, why is everything j write so short >:(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:33:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26078029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightlist/pseuds/Nightlist
Summary: “Jerome,” Jon smiled at him, his eyes tired and glazed. “Jerome.” He said the name like it meant the world to him.His hand fell.
Relationships: Jonathan Crane & Jerome Valeska, Jonathan Crane/Jerome Valeska, the romance is more implied but whatever gotta get the fic count up somehow
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	Make me a promise/That time won’t erase us

Jerome heard the gunshot. Of course he did, they were loud as fuck. He was pretty sure his own handgun was empty at this point so he didn’t bother firing back. It didn’t really register though, that he wasn’t in pain. He figured it was adrenaline. It wasn’t like he hadn’t had to run after being shot before, hell it was practically a weekly occurrence at this point. So he didn’t stop. Jerome was always the one who got hurt. That was how it supposed to be. He could handle it. He always had. 

There was a thud from behind him. 

Jerome quickly glanced over his shoulder, ready to yell at his baghead to hurry up. But he wasn’t moving. Jonathan was on his knees, a gloved hand pressed to his ribs. There was a stain on the fabric there, almost like kool aid. It was spreading, seeping through the fabric. 

His mind didn’t realize what had happened until Jonny pitched forward, his hand reaching out to catch himself. 

“Bug?” His voice was a whisper. 

This was wrong. 

The world snapped back into focus, the police sirens wailing as Jon coughed under his mask.

Jerome ran. 

“No, no hey hey  _fuck_!”  His voice trembled as he desperately pulled the brunett’s mask off, pushing down on the wound that was still seeping blood it was too much blood  _he couldn’t stop it he couldn’t fix this fuck fuck no_ -

“Jerome.” Jon sounded exhausted. There was a stream of red running from the corner of his mouth as he weakly grabbed at the losers arm. “Jerome.”

“No, don’t talk. You’re, you’re gonna be fine okay? You’re gonna be fine. I hurt myself worse than this all the time remember? You’re gonna be okay Jonny,” Fuck he didn’t know what to  _do_.  He couldn’t move Jonny, he’d just hurt him worse but it wasn’t like anyone was going to come help them. Jerome didn’t deserve anyone’s help but his bug was just a  _ kid  _ when all this started, he’d been thrown into Arkham when he was sixteen he didnt deserve this. Jerome should be the one who was dead the world had proved that. Jerome should be the one bleeding out on the street for all to see, it wasn’t like it hadn’t happened before-

“Jj. Listen to- listen.” Jonathan was pulling on his arm now, but Jerome couldn’t move. He wouldn’t move. He wasn’t going to just sit there and do nothing while the one fucking person who actually cared about him died. 

“ _ Listen  _ Jerome,” He was coughing now, flecks of red dotting his face and chest. “You’re going to be fine.”

“No i’m not!” Jerome was crying now, the stupid fucking laughter bubbling in his chest and slipping out with the tears. “I- I can’t- I  _ can’t _ .”

_ I can’t lose you too _

“Jerome,” Jon smiled at him, his eyes tired and glazed. “Jerome.” He said the name like it meant the world to him. 

His hand fell. 

“No. No nononono you don’t get to die on me!” Jerome yelled, frantically feeling for a pulse he wouldn’t find. “Don’t you don’t- you can’t Jonny I _can’t_ ”

He wanted to scream. He couldn’t. 

He was shaking him now, fingers digging into burlap as he tried and tried and tried to grab onto something out of reach. 

“No no no please please fuck please  _ no _ !” This couldn’t be happening this couldn’t be real. 

Jerome was crying, and laughing as he clamped his jaw shut and pushed his bloody hands against his mouth as if he could force the laughter back down his throat. He was shaking as he tried desperately to somehow wake up from reality.

* * *

Jim watched in horror as Jerome cried over the body of Crane. He’d shot at them yes, but he never- he’d never wanted this. He didn’t want to  kill  Crane. He didn’t want to kill anyone. And fuck he could still remember Jerome crying back at the circus and Jonathan screaming in a hospital bed.

Jim saw Bruce from all those years ago in Jerome’s scared tear streaked face. And fuck he may have been a murderer but he was still just a kid in so many ways. He was a kid who had just watched probably the only person he cared about die while he couldn’t do anything to stop it. Jim had seen it time and time again and it never got easier. 

Maybe that was why he didn’t react when Jerome grabbed the gun he had dropped in his panic. Jim expected the redhead to turn and fire at him, but he didn’t. Jerome’s hand trembled as he lifted the gun and placed the muzzle under his chin. 

He wasn’t laughing anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by https://scaredyjokes.tumblr.com/post/618182878121033728/nothing-like-listening-to-johnny-boy-by-twenty-one someone tell me how to make a link just one word pls


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